Photographer s wash-box



T. H. KELLEY.

PHOTOGRAPHERS WASH BOX.

No. 339,898. Patented Apr. 13, 1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS H. KELLEY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

PHOTOGRAPHERS WASH-BOX.

SFECIFEGATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 339,898, dated April 13, 1886.

Application filed September 11, 1885.

To CLZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. KELLEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Photographers \Vash- Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in racks and washingboxes for photographers.

Its object is to provide a convenient means for supporting photographic plates or negatives, either on glass or other surfaces, horizontally with the film side down, so that they can be subjected to a steady downward current of water, in order that the salts, which are of greater specific gravity than water, will be more completely and quickly removed and the plate cleansed for use.

its object is also to prevent injury to the films while undergoing the process ofeleansing. A further object is to provide convenient racks for the support of a number of plates, which racks are removable from the tank with the washed negatives to be used as a drying-rack.

XVith these objects in view my invention consists in the peculiar arrangement and combination of devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which I will first describe fully, and then specifically point out in the claims the parts and combinations which I regard as my improvements.

telerring to the drawings, in which like parts are indicated by similar reference-letters wherever they occur, Figure l is a longitudinal central vertical section of a washing-box provided with my improvements. The racks are in position and two plates resting upon them. The outlet and inlet tubes are shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the rack in the left-hand side of the box, Fig. 1.. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the right-hand rack. Fig. i is a transverse section taken through line a a of Fig. Fig. 5 is a similar section taken through line 3 y of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a central vertical section of a modification of the rack shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a per spective view of a part of the rack, Fig. 6. Fig. Sis a perspective view of part of the shelf, Figs. 6 and 7 shown detached.

Serial No. 176,765. (No model.)

The tank A is a rectangular box, preferably made of sheet-zinc. It has a bottom surface large enough to admit the plates in a horizontal position, the depth being regulated by the number of plates it is designed to hold. The tank is provided with the inlet-tube a near the top, and the outlet-tap a at its opposite side near the bottom, and is furnished with the cover A. Upon opposite sides of the tank A are soldered or otherwise rigidly attached U-shaped guides B, to receive the racks C and D in a vertical position. A number of these guides may be arranged opposite each other along the sides of the box, so that the racks C D may be set at different distances apart to accommodate different-sized plates.

The frames 0, which support the shelves, are made of wire bent to a rectangular shape, as shown. Those shown in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, have vertical bars 0, extending from top to bottom near the sides. The shelves 0 Fig. 2, are angle-pieces of zinc, one web of which is secured to the uprights c, and the other web extends out horizontally, forming the shelf from which one edge of the plates 1 rest. Across the ends of these shelves are secured angle-pieces 0 one web going across the ends of the shelves and the other back of them.

The rack D, Fig. 3, is formed by securing vertically to the cross-bars of the frame anglestrips (1, and to these angle-strips are secured at regular intervals the U-shaped pieces (1, which receive one web ofthe removable shelves d", which are also formed of angle-pieces, the webs being at less than a right angle to each other, so thatthe shelves incline downward,as clearly shown in Fig. l.

The racks C I) being set in position in the box the required distance apart the lower shelf, :1 is placed in the lower U shaped bracket, a plate is lowered film side down until its end rests upon the opposite shelves, 0 and (1 another shelf is placed above this in the brackets, and another plate put in in the same manner, and so on one above the other until the racks are full. \Vater is nowlet into the box through tube a and allowed to cover the plates, when, by means of the tap a, the waste at the outlet is made to equal the flow, and a current 100 of fresh water allowed to pass continually through the tank until the plates are cleansed.

In the modification shown in Figs. 6 to 8, inclusive, the shelves d instead of being removable, are pivoted in one web of the angles (1, and the other web of the angle-piece is cut through behind each shelf and bent back to form stops 6, which engage lugs f, which are thrown up from the back of the shelves, as clearly shown in the drawings. When not in use to support the plates, these shelves are thrown up out of the way of the plates that are being placed in or removed from the racks. Before the racks G D are placed in the tank the strap G is extended along the bottom of the tank, on which the bottom edges of the racks are allowed to rest, the strap being long enough to pass up and buckle over the top of the racks. After the washing process is completed and the tank emptied of water the ends of the strap are brought up and buckled over the top of the racks, holding them and the plates in their relative position. The racks, with the plates in them, may now belifted from the tank and set in an angular position-that is, corners downupon the top edges of the tank, where they are allowed to drip off into the tank, after which the racks containing the plates may be set back into the empty tank, the strap loosened, and the plates removed for use as desired.

It will be seen that my shelves in rack D are made wide and incline downward, while those in rack C are narrow and project out horizontally. By this arrangement the plates are more securely held while undergoing the process of washing, or while the racks are being removed for drying. By this means also considerable variation in the size of the plates is provided for without injury to the film, as only the extreme edges of the plates rest upon the shelves, whether the plates extend the full distance between the racks O D or only from shelf 0 to barely rest on the edge of shelf d.

The plates being placed film side down and the current of water being downward, it is evident that the salts to be removed, which are heavier than water, will be more readily detached and fall down vertically without passing over the sensitive film, as is the case when the plates are placed vertically, as heretofore, and it is also evident that in this position the sensitive film is protected from any sediment that may be in the water.

It would be an inferior modification of my invention to make the shelves d like the shelves 0 to project at a right angle to the frame D, or to entirely dispense with the side guides, B, and secure the racks G D permanently or adjustably together at a proper distance apart to receive the plates, so that the racks could be lifted out and replaced in the tank with its plates without the use of the strap G.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is I 1. The combination, in a photographers wash-box, of the tank A, having inlet and outlet ports, as shown, with the racks C D, having horizontal shelves adapted to receive and support photographic plates in a horizontal position film side down, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

2. The combination, substantially as specified, of the tank A, having inlet a, tap a, and side guides, B, with the shelf-racks O D, arranged to slide vertically in and be supported by said guides, one of said racks havinga pivoted or removable shelf, for the purpose set forth.

3. A rack for supporting photographic negatives film side down, consisting of two frames, each being provided with horizontal shelves, the shelves upon one frame being either removable or pivoted to afford access to all of said shelves for the purpose of placing negatives successively thereon or removing them therefrom,with suitable means, such as shown and described, to hold the said frames in their proper relative position,either for washing or drying, substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination, substantially as specified, of the tank A, inlet-port a, tap a, and a series of vertical side guides or ways, B, with the racks C c and D d, and shelves 0 'and d 5. The devices hereinbefore set forth for supporting,washiug, and drying photographic negatives, which consist of the following ele-v ments in combination, to wit: a washing-box having inlet and outlet ports and vertical ways upon opposite sides, shelf-racks adapted to enter and be sustained in a vertical position in said ways, with the shelves in a horizontal position, and a strap, as G, to secure the racks and plates together, so that they may be re moved from the tank and used as a dryingrack.

6. The combination, substantially as specified, of the racks C D, the shelves 0' d, sup- IIC ported upon said racks, the said shelves d be- THOMAS H. KELLEY.

Vitnesses:

GEo. J. MURRAY, 0. W. MILEs. 

